SR-maximalists: the forgotten children of the Russian revolution

The revolutionary field of Russian politics in the early twentieth century were extremely diverse and rich in a variety of organizations. So, in addition to the social democrats (rsdlp and other organizations) with their numerous fractions, the classic socialist-revolutionaries from the party of socialist revolutionaries, anarchists, and numerous communist, syndicalist or individualistic sense, there was quite a variety of "Intermediate" parties, organizations and groups. One of the most visible and interesting was the sr-maxiMalists, who was in ideological terms the situation between the socialist-revolutionaries (psr) and anarcho-syndicalists. It is a curious trend in Russian political thought and practice has existed for a long time — since the first years of the twentieth century to the early 1920s, his followers were considered among the most radical, because not only advocated the "Extreme" methods of struggle, including terror, but also included the need for a fundamental transformation of socio-political life.

At the beginning of the twentieth century left the Russian policy was represented by two main paradigms of socialist — marxist, and populist. To the marxists treated moderate and radical social-democrats, as well as a number of national social-democratic organizations in Poland, the baltic states and the caucasus. The populist line was succeeded by the popular socialists, socialist-revolutionaries and several national organizations. In addition, there were also anarchists, who were particularly active in Western and Southern regions of the Russian empire.

Nejnarocnejsi the party of socialists-revolutionaries held in this segment one of the leading positions. First, it enjoyed the support of broad layers of the population, focusing on the construction of Russian socialism. Second, the party successfully combined work of the political wing, which belonged to many prominent intellectuals, and the armed wing of the militant organization of the akp, which planned and carried out many terrorist acts against representatives of the authorities (it later transpired that a number of terrorist attacks stood a police provocateur yevno azef, head of the bo akp after gershuni). However, many activists of the akp is already in 1904-1905 was unhappy too reasonable, from their point of view, the program of the party.

In the Western cities of the Russian empire experienced an outflow of sr activists — how social democrats and anarchists. There are instances when the anarchist position passed the whole of the district branch or the battle group of the srs. The main thing in the party program of socialists-revolutionaries, as you know, was the "Peasant question". Revolutionaries considered themselves the protectors and spokesmen for the interests of the Russian peasantry, the peasant party.

However, the issue of political struggle, srs evaluated the potential of the peasantry was very skeptical. That is, the peasants they wanted to protect, but didn't believe until the end in the possibility of peasant self-organization to fight against the exploiters. Meanwhile, in the early twentieth century in several regions of Russia often did not happen by peasants against landlords, sometimes accompanied by violent acts. They are called "Agrarian terror" and, of course, attracted the attention of revolutionaries in the first place — srs.

But to lead the peasant uprisings, the leaders of the akp feared. A sufficiently powerful group of the srs by this time, operated in exile in switzerland. Settled here catherine k. Catherine breshkovsky (1844-1934), which is respectfully called the "Grandmother of the Russian revolution".

Veteran populist movement and a member of the sr leadership, she supported the position of the radical youth. Around her formed a group of twenty people, at the head of which was the publicist evgeny ustinov (lozinski) and other prominent sr — Mikhail sokolov, better known by the nickname "Bear". This group argued that the srs should deploy "Agrarian terror" in the countryside and use it to gain support of the peasantry, and then to lead the peasant masses for a socialist revolution. 14 nov 1904 geneva group of socialist revolutionaries adopted a resolution "On the combat squads in the village in connection with the agrarian terror".

Soon the members of the geneva group went to Russia in order to organize the cells of his supporters, who were to proceed to the agricultural terror. Mikhail ivanovich sokolov (1880-1906) was at that time a young man twenty-four years old. Before going to geneva he led the sr circle at the mariinsky agricultural college in saratov province. It was he who led the campaign activities of the supporters of the agrarian terror in Russia, visiting a number of cities in Western and Southern Russia and the volga region.

In early 1905, the falcons tried to create a "Farmers union", published in his name several proclamations calling on the peasants to armed struggle for the socialization of the land — against the landlords and the tsarist government. In the end, in early april 1905 sokolova was arrested in kursk. Turning to the sr party moment was the december armed uprising of 1905 in Moscow, which has exposed all the "Shortcomings" of the leadership of the akp from the point of view of its radical members. The party began to grow opposition sentiment, as many socialist-revolutionaries were dissatisfied with the opportunistic behavior of managers during the uprising. Under the influence of opposition sentiment got almost all of the Moscow organization of the akp, the activists who were personally involved in the armed uprising and, therefore, realized the need to further radicalization of the party of course.

Despite all the attempts of the akp leader chernov to stabilize the situation in the party, a split became inevitable. Left direction in the sr the movement has been called extremists — as urged to proceed immediately to the socialist revolution, i. E. Implementation of the "Program-maximum". In october 1906, at the founding conference in Finland, at abo, was established the union of socialist revolutionaries maxiMalists (ccpm).

At this conference a keynote address was made by Mikhail sokolov, who founded this organization. However, in the activities of "Child" sokolov had to participate in a month. 26 nov 1906 in st. Petersburg he was recognized on the street agents of the secret police and arrested.

The court was short — 2 dec 1906 Mikhail sokolov hung. However, the activities and development of ccpm execution is not affected. Shortly after sokolov, in august, 1906, executed, and other "Founding father" of the union of socialist revolutionaries maxiMalists — Vladimir mazurina. As sokolov, Vladimir mazurin (1882-1906) was quite a young man.

He studied at the natural faculty of Moscow university, but in 1904, after his arrest, was forced to leave school. Mazurino given seven years of imprisonment, but already in 1905 he was released on amnesty and immediately got involved in revolutionary activities. During the december armed uprising, he commanded a combat squad on the kazan railway and participated in the battles. Under the leadership mazurina were organized and conducted the famous expropriation of the offices of the Moscow mutual credit society.

Mazurina when arrested, he offered armed resistance. Death of a young man sentenced for the fact that during one of the sorties he shot and killed several police officers. 26 aug 1906 mazurina was arrested, and 31 august were executed in the courtyard of the taganka prison. However, since the above-mentioned strategy, in contrast to the rsdlp, was an organization with a highly decentralized structure, the execution of leaders did not affect the activities of local organizations.

In 1906 in the Russian empire there were at least 52 organizations of the union of socialist revolutionaries maxiMalists. Of course, to compete in their influence with the akp or party, the organization could not, but one cannot deny its significant contribution to the diversity of the revolutionary palette of those years. The philosophy of the social revolutionaries, the maxiMalists were a logical continuation of the research of Russian socialists — populists of the late nineteenth century. Especially great influence on the maxiMalists had views of the Russian philosopher and sociologist nikolai konstantinovich Mikhailovsky (1842-1904), who assumed an individual human personality to the main figure and the measure of progress of society.

Accordingly, the maxiMalists paid labour of the individual of paramount importance. It is even reflected in the documents of the organization, it was stressed that the bourgeois system strongly inhibits the desire labor of the individual to the development of their powers and abilities. Increased attention to the individual, the individual aspects of the mother maxiMalist anarchists. They believed that the subordination of the individual to society deprives her of autonomy and actually turns the person into a cog.

This circumstance contributes to the fact that there is class inequality, and the rulers can keep their power over the working masses. Focus on the freedom of the individual fundamentally different from extremists from supporters of the marxist approach, which always accused the populists in subjective idealism and voluntarism. Union of socialists-revolutionaries maxiMalists advocated the building of a classless society, borrowing many of the ideological principles of anarcho-syndicalists. Speaking for the the creation of the labour republic, the maxiMalists meant by her social system with the property of labor collectives of the means of production.

Factories was controlled by work collectives, and the land — rural communities. When in 1905, during the revolution in Russia there tips, maxiMalists supported their creation and began to consider the tips as an ideal form of government. However, unlike the bolsheviks, maxiMalists do not dwell on the leadership of the party in the revolutionary events — and it created a bond between them with anarcho-syndicalists, who advocated political creativity, self-management and self-organization of the toiling masses. But syndicalists, the extremists were distinguished by the rejection of the trade union struggle, especially in its legal expression.